Whenever West-Milford-Pequannock-Pompton Lakes and Lakeland-Hawthorne-Waldwick clash, lots of goals tend to follow.
The teams met for the fourth time this season in the Big North Silver Cup Final at the Ice Vault in Wayne on Thursday. The previous three meetings saw the teams score a combined 34 goals, with each team winning once and tying once.
The fourth matchup brought all of the high-octane offense as the previous three with an extra layer of title-game drama thrown into the mix as well. By the time the final buzzer sounded, it was the third-seeded West Milford tri-op which did just a bit more than the fourth-seeded Lakeland tri-op to earn a 6-5 victory and secure the program’s first Big North Silver Cup championship.
Joe Barroquiero and Timmy Riche each notched two goals and two assists for the West Milford tri-op (10-12-1), while Kyle Gregory tallied four assists and scored an empty net goal that stood up as the game-winner.
Entering the third period tied 2-2 might not be considered low-scoring in a vacuum, but it was by the standards of teams who played to two 7-6 outcomes earlier in the season, as well as a 4-4 tie.
The relatively low-scoring affair began to turn into one these two teams are more accustomed to in the early stages of the third period. After having already scored West Milford’s second goal midway through the middle frame, Timmy Riche capitalized on a Lakeland holding penalty for his second goal of the night at the 10:44 mark to give his team a 3-2 lead, its third lead of the night.
West Milford had its first multi-goal lead 23 seconds later as Barroquiero scored to make it a 4-2 contest. The teams would trade five more goals through the remainder of the period, with Gregory’s empty net tally sealing the deal by staking West Milford to a 6-4 lead with 32 seconds left in regulation.
It took a bit longer to get to its usual high scoring ways, but the West Milford/Lakeland matchup provided offensive fireworks for a fourth time this season, and rivalries like this one are what the players and coaches feel high school sports are all about.
West Milford head coach Christopher Scarpa pointed to that rivalry and the extra juice it brings as a key factor in the back and forth, offense-filled games him and his team tend to play against Lakeland (9-14-1).
“I think it boils down to the rivalries in amateur sports and being able to rise to the occasion,” Scarpa said.
“These games are always a toss-up no matter what the records are. It’s always going to be close. That’s how these rivalry games are, every player is going to maximize themselves.”
Barroquiero was one of several West Milford players to maximize themselves on the ice while soaking in every bit of the intense rivalry Scarpa highlighted. Both team’s scorers frequently made an effort to celebrate in front of the opposing team’s fan sections, with West Milford celebrations in front of Lakeland fans drawing some of the more entertaining player reactions of the night.
Not to say players are ever not trying, but Barroquiero echoed his coach’s sentiments on how rivalry matchups can bring an extra bit of excitement to the table.
“When we play each other there’s always a different compete level, it always means more,” Barroquiero said of matching up with the Lakeland tri-op.
“It’s not just the trophy, it’s also beating them personally and the pride there is in that. We’ve had this rivalry with Lakeland for years now so it’s even better getting some hardware to go with it.”
Barroquiero wasn’t the only player highlighting the extra juice the rivalry factor brings for the players. Riche cited the energy both sides bring to the ice every time West Milford and Lakeland clash, and credited his teammates for winning the highest-stakes edition of this rivalry so far.
“The boys know how to get it done,” Riche said of his teammates.
“Joe and Kyle are both huge parts of our team. We didn’t get the outcome at states last year but we’re coming back strong this year.”
If West Milford has plans of a deep run in this year’s playoffs, it’s set the stage for it with a Big North Silver Cup championship run not many would have expected. West Milford endured an 11-1 mercy rule defeat against Passaic Tech on Jan. 31st, but has bounced back with four consecutive wins and a plus 17 goal differential over those four games.
Peaking at the right time has been the story for many past title winners, and West Milford doesn’t see any reason why it can’t be the next team to follow that script.
“We just need to be who we are,” Riche said. “We believe we can beat anybody and we’re gonna make it happen.”
The Big North Silver Cup Final marked the end of the regular season for both the Lakeland tri-op and West Milford tri-op. The two teams will be out of game action until the NJSIAA sectional co-op tournament begins later in February.
Jack McKenna can be reached at [email protected] or via direct message here.
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